You assess things with a worldly perspective, believing that suffering brings disgrace to Me and is not a part of Christ’s experience, yet this is a fleshly way of thinking. If you had listened to My words, liberated from earthly thoughts by the Divine Spirit, you would comprehend that this path is indeed suitable for Me. You consider it beneath Me to suffer, yet I assert that this hesitation to allow Me to suffer derives from the adversary. Thus, the Lord reassures Peter by countering his fear with the fear of another kind. Our Savior, as St. Philaret explained, held the thought of His death with such gravity that for merely a reckless desire to dislodge this idea, He referred to the very friend He had named the rock of faith, to whom He entrusted the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, with the grave title of Satan! He perceived in His spirit the one provoking Peter to oppose Him, recognizing it was Satan aiming to prompt Him through Peter to forgo suffering—the only path to ascend to glory being the shameful way of the cross—and He firmly set aside this temptation. St. Chrysostom notes that similarly, when John thought it beneath Christ to baptize him, the Lord encouraged him to proceed, stating, “so it is fitting for us” (Matt. 3:15). Likewise, when Peter did not want his feet washed, Jesus insisted, “unless I wash thee, thou hast no part with Me” (John 13:8). In this case, by enlightening Peter through the fear of the contrary and through firm correction, He dispelled the fear that arose from the idea of suffering. Let all who are embarrassed by the sufferings of Christ on the cross take heed! If the foremost apostle, even when grasping only part of the truth, was called Satan for his shame of the cross, how will those who clearly reject the sacrament of the cross defend themselves? Jesus did not say, “Satan speaks through you,” but rather, “Get thee behind Me, Satan!” because the adversary sought precisely to prevent Christ from suffering. This is why He admonished Peter so sternly. Therefore, let no one feel ashamed of the glorious signs of our salvation, by which we live, and the initiation of all that is good, by which we exist. Let us wear the cross of Christ as our crown, for through it we receive all that we need. Thus, we diligently inscribe it on our homes, walls, doors, foreheads, and hearts. For the cross is the emblem of our salvation, liberation, and the mercy of our Lord who “was led like a sheep to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). When you make the sign of the cross, embody the full meaning of it, suppressing anger and other passions. “You were bought with a high price” (1 Cor. 7:23), says the Apostle Paul, referring to the cross as that price. This sign must not be traced with a mere finger, but expressed with genuine intention and complete faith. When represented in such a way, no impure spirit can approach you, recognizing the sword that delivered the mortal blow. If we regard with reverence the places of execution, imagine how terrified the devil and demons must be when they see the weapon through which the Lord vanquished all their power and severed the serpent's head. That is why with the cross, the demons become powerless and fearsome no longer, death itself transforms from an end into a mere slumber. Through the cross, all that stands opposed to us is trampled and subdued.
THEOSIS